Donald Trump spoke with
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a call Tuesday, one of the few world
leaders the new US President has spoken to since taking office on Friday.According to a White
House statement, Trump emphasized that Washington considers India a "true
friend and partner in addressing challenges around the world."
The new US leader also
said he was looking forward to welcoming Modi in the US later this year. Modi's a frequent visitor
to the US; he's made four official visits since he assumed office in
2014. Last June marked theseventh time he had met former President Barack
Obama.
On the call, Trump and
Modi were said to have discussed opportunities to strengthen their partnership
on the economy and defense, though no details were given.
They also discussed
security in south and central Asia, a region that encompasses Pakistan and
Afghanistan, and resolved to "stand shoulder to shoulder in the global fight
against terrorism."
Modi tweeted that he had a "warm
conversation" with the President and said the pair had "agreed to
work closely in the coming days to further strengthen our bilateral ties."
He added that he had
invited Trump to visit India.
Tweeting from his personal
account, Modi said his conversation with Trump had been "warm", and
that they would work closely in the coming days to further strengthen bilateral
ties. He also invited Trump to visit India. The U.S.-India
relationship has flourished of late and New Delhi is hopeful that this will
continue under Trump, who courted the votes of the Indian diaspora in his
presidential run.
Trump's pledge to ban
immigration by Muslims from countries he says harbor Islamic militants has also
played well among Modi's Hindu-nationalist base, which is hostile to Pakistan.
There are concerns,
though, that Trump may pull back the U.S. security umbrella from the region,
exposing India to a rising China. His tough line on immigration and
"America First" jobs policy could make it tougher for India's
information technology sector to send staff to the U.S. to do project work.
President Obama once said
India and the United States would form the "defining partnership" of
the 21st century.
Trade between the two
countries has grown five-fold in the last decade to more than $100 billion
dollars. However, there could be
one sticking point on the horizon. President Trump has said he may clamp down
on highly skilled H-1B visas, which Indian companies rely heavily on.
They allow foreign
workers to fill skill gaps in the US workforce. Critics argue the system is
being exploited to recruit cheaper foreign workers.
There was no mention of
the issue in the White Houses's readout of the call.
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